Malcode Mysteries Revealed
Richard Ford · IEEE Security & Privacy · 2005
The author examines self-replicating code and its associated challenges, His aim is to help demystify the topic as well as stimulate new research in a frequently mistreated subject. This is not overly ambitious in a short article: despite their patina of complexity, viruses and worms are fairly straightforward. The SQL.Slammer worm of 2003, for example, spread using packets that were only 376 bytes long. Compact and simple, such threats can spread worldwide in minutes.